Harden returns for her senior season with a Vel Phillips Memorial team that showed state tournament potential last year. With much of that roster lost to graduation, she now has an opportunity to step into a larger leadership role. Already one of the team’s top scorers, Harden will be counted on to carry more of the offensive load while helping guide a new group. I’m confident she’s ready to embrace the challenge.

The Madison native is a reliable creator. Harden can handle the ball under pressure and help her coaches run the offenses they want as an extension of the staff on the floor. Harden has always been a pass-first player who helps her teammates get open looks. She isn’t a guard who will always hunt her own shot, but she can attack off the dribble and put defenses in uncomfortable positions. Her teammates will love having her as a lead guard at the next level.

I was impressed with how well Harden handled herself against EYBL talent in Chicago at Nike Nationals. She’s a skilled ball handler who handled herself well against athletic defenders and played through pressure respectably, considering she hadn’t played many EYBL-level teams. There is a skilled lead guard who could compete at the next level, and I’m interested in where she’ll wind up.

Hardnen has always been among the most skilled ball handlers in the state, and she thrived in the skills portion of the camp. Everything came naturally to her, and even though you could tell she was attacking every rep, she was so skilled that it still looked easy to her. I thought she had an excellent day in Mequon and was one of the players comfortable talking on the floor in the 5v5 portion and organizing her team whenever needed. She’s also a kid other players enjoy playing with, which speaks to her character on and off the floor.

I caught some of Dynatsy’s last game on Saturday at the Cheesehead Challenge in New Berlin. However, Harden is someone I still would like to see more from. The talent with the ball in her hands is evident, but I’m eager to see how she’s grown as an off-ball player. She’s so dynamic and quick, which makes me believe she could develop into an excellent cutter and one of the better pass jumpers in the Madison area. That said, watching her get into some dribble-drive is worth watching.

Having guards who can work off the dribble and create something out of nothing is a prerequisite for playing high-level basketball at the next level, and Harden can do that. She proved she could be a trustworthy guard against kids older than her, and she had a solid postseason run, as Vel Phillips Memorial fell just short against then-undefeated Oregon on the road. The most important thing for her will be learning to excel away from the ball on both ends the way she excels with the ball or guarding the ball on both ends of the floor.